As you would expect from Frostytech, we're not going to make
you wait - the Coolermaster TPC-812 heatsink performs exceptionally well on the
synthetic Intel platform at stock fan speed, within the Top 5 Intel heatsinks tested to
date in fact! The synthetic AMD test platform witnessed similar results,
but let's not get ahead of ourselves...

In 2001, the first heatsink we tested to employ heatpipes was
the Coolermaster CH5-5K12; it had a tiny, tiny 50mm fan
and two stubby heatpipes. More than a decade latter, the Coolermaster TPC-812 is
the first CPU heatsink to pass our test bench employing both vapour
chambersandheatpipes in one package. Combined, the TCP-812
heatsink has six 6mm diameter heatpipes as the primary heat conductors and two
19x3mm vapour chambers as the secondary heat conductors. These eight thermal
conductors join a chunky nickel plated copper base plate with a 112mm
aluminum tall fin stack.

What are vapour chambers (or 'vapor chambers') and how do they work?
Frostytech will explain the technology behind vapour chambers and heatpipes
in a moment, first the TPC-812's specs...

Coolermaster's TPC-812 heatsink supports Intel
socket LGA2011/1366/1155/1156/775 and AMD FM1/AM2/AM3 processors and stands
164mm tall. This innocuous tower heatsink weighs a monstrous 1044grams and packs
in six 6mm diameter copper heatpipes, on top of which are soldered two 3x19mm
'L-shaped' vapour chamber strips. A single 120mm PWM fan ships with the
heatsink, running at 2400RPM - 600RPM and pushing up to 86CFM. For quieter
operation, an extra set of fan brackets is provided for mounting a rear exhaust
fan (not included) and dialing back the speed on both.

The Coolermaster fan is notable for its swept-forward impeller blades
and vibration absorbing pads positioned between it and the metal fins. The
Coolermaster TPC-812 heatsink retails for $69USD/CDN.

In basic terms, vapour chambers are heat transfer
devices that operate with greater thermal conductivity than an identically sized
piece of solid copper. Physically, a vapour chamber is a sealed, hollow copper
vessel containing a bit of liquid, a metallic wick and a slight vacuum.

Vapour Chambers Explained

Vapour chambers and heatpipes work on the same
principle, the difference is that vapour chambers are planar thermal devices that conduct heat in two
dimensions.

Vapour chambers are typically no less than ~2.5mm thick,
flat and formed into rectangular or square shapes. Their two dimensional heat
transfer properties and very low spreading resistance make them ideal
heatspreaders. Typically, vapour chambers are deployed to the bottom of a
heatsink to diffuse localized hot spots across a larger area. For example, with
videocard GPUs one section of the relatively large silicon die may get very hot;
vapour chambers can help alleviate these hot spots from heating up only the
closest cooling fins.

Vapor Chamber functional diagram

By contrast, heat pipes are narrow tubular structures
that conduct heat energy in one dimension, axially along their length. Both
devices work as follows:

When outside heat is applied to the 'hot' side of the
heatsink, the working fluid inside the heatpipe/vapor chamber absorbs that heat
energy from the copper. This causes the working fluid to undergo a phase change
from liquid to water vapour, carrying the latent heat with it. The vapour is
drawn to the cooler end/region of the heatpipe/vapour chamber where it condenses
back to liquid. As the vapour cools back to its liquid phase, the heat
energy it stored is transferred to the metal at the 'cold' end of the
heatpipe/vapour chamber.

The condensed vapour, now working fluid once again, is then drawn back
towards the hot evaporator side of the heatpipe (or hot region of the vapour
chamber) by capillary action, along the internal wick structure. A wick can be
made from sintered metal power, fine metal mesh, very small grooves or any
combination thereof. As the working fluid reaches the hot end the entire process
repeats itself.

Note the flat vapour
chambers at the center of the TPC-812 heatsink.

Now there's no such thing as a 'vertical vapour chamber'
per say, the term 'vertical' merely indicates Coolermaster is using the vapour
champer strip in a non-traditional manner. The two 'L-shaped' vapour chambers
have a higher aspect ratio than heatpipes, so placed on edge to the airflow they
offer less air resistance (3mm profile vs. 6mm profile).

Vapour chambers come in different shapes and sizes,
everything from narrow strips to cool sticks of RAM to large squares on the
bottom of 2U server heatsinks. In fact, Frostytech showed you this vapour chamber from Glacialtech a
couple years ago, it's end use is as the base of a forced air server heatsink.

If you cut a heatpipe open you'll find a hollow copper
tube with a metal wick structure of some sort; metal mesh, sintered copper
power, groove, or combinations thereof. Again, Frostytech did this a while back,
here & here, and via Intel, here.

The two 19x3mm vapour chambers on the Coolermaster
TPC-812 heatsink are double-stacked (one vapour chamber on top of three
heatpipes), much like the Xigmatek Aegir. Since vapour chambers are planar
devices this represents a more efficient application that piling
tubular heatpipes on top of tubular heatpipes.

Coolermaster's 19mm wide
vapour chamber strip, up close

Heatsink
Installation

Coolermaster's TPC-812 heatsink is compatible with Intel
socket LGA2011/1366/1155/1156/775 and AMD socket AM2/AM3/FM1 processors. The
heatsink is supplied with a crab-like rear-motherboard metal support bracket
that accommodates every variation of CPU socket and a metal 'switch-blade' clip
that applies force at the center-point of the heatsink base plate. Associated
screws and nuts to put it all together, along a small amount of thermal compound
round out the accessory list.

Users need to access the rear of the motherboard to
install the Coolermaster TPC-812, but once the rear support plate is in position
the heatsink can be removed easily thereafter. A single 'switch blade' upper
clip accommodates all CPU sockets, using four spring-tensioned screws.

Note: The screws on the mounting clip are set to 'tab 2'
position, which is the spacing appropriate
for LGA1155/1156/AM2 processors. You'll need to push the screw in from the
bottom and slide it over to tab 1 (the inner-most) position for LGA775. Move
each mounting screw to tab 3 position (the outside) for LGA2011/1366. Failure to
do so will quickly lead to a lot of grief as each socket spacing is just a hair
off.

FrostyTech's Test Methodologies are outlined in detail here if you care to know what equipment is
used, and the parameters under which the tests are conducted. Now let's move
forward and take a closer look at this heatsink, its acoustic characteristics,
and of course its performance in the thermal tests!